No Turning Back
by Saku
Summary: Kurama's having nightmares involving Hiei hurting him. They seem to be getting more and more intense and they seem to be having physical affects on him even when he's awake!
1. NTB1

No Turning Back  
  
**  
  
There was a loud and insistant banging at the door. Kurama woke up from his nap on the couch. He blinked and looked at the clock. Quarter to three in the afternoon. He parted the curtains and saw a very impatient Hiei wearing a scowl on the doorstep.  
  
What now? What does he want? "I'm coming." Kurama stepped into his jeans, zipped his fly and buttoned up. More impatient banging at the door. Where was a clean shirt? To hell with a shirt. He opened the door, but before he could ask what crime he'd committed, Hiei jumped him, sending him crashing to the floor on his back. Drawing his katana, Hiei pressed the cold blade to Kurama's throat. Then, leaning over him, he whispered in his ear, "There's no turning back now."  
  
Kurama winced as his friend applied pressure to the metal sword. Any harder and it would get messy real fast.   
  
"H-h-hiei? What are you doing?"  
  
Hiei sat on his chest and smirked down at him. "I'm just doing what I should have done a long time ago. I'm correcting a mistake." Kurama felt the pain of Hiei's words and a tear escaped his emerald eyes creating a path down his face and onto the floor. Hiei stood over him now, laughing at his weakness. Katana held high. Kurama never fought back and the katana came down hard. **  
  
  
  
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!" Kurama woke up screaming. It was dark, except for the threads of moonlight through the blinds and the alarm that read 1:52am. Breathing heavily, Kurama glanced around, soaking up the realization he'd been dreaming. Just a dream. Thank goodness. He looked over at the small figure beside him, still sleeping. Hiei could sleep through an earthquake. A chill ran down his spine as he watched the youkai softly breathing, eyes closed. His hair was a mess of black and white and he would twitch occasionaly in his sleep. I wonder what he's dreaming? Kurama thought, running his fingers through Hiei's hair and down the middle of his face; resting first on the tip of his nose, then his lips. Suddenly Kurama didn't want to be near him. Not after the dream.  
  
Slipping out of bed and into some slippers, Kurama headed for the washroom. He ran cold water and splashed his face with it, looking into the mirror. His long, deep red hair was a wild mess that flowed down his back. Kurama found himself thinking about the dream again. Vivid details; Hiei's look of satisfaction, the wave of pain as he hit the floor and the katana...so cold. Kurama invuluntarily touched his neck. He looked into the mirror and shivered. He wouldn't sleep tonight. Not now. He fixed himself a sandwich and got comfy on the livingroom couch, flicking on the television.  
  
It had been a great idea to invest his money in this old cottage. Not many people lived out here in the woods. Naturally, Hiei liked it. "I like the quiet." He had said when Kurama found him sitting up in the old redwood tree just outside the property. The place was Kurama's by right, he had paid for it. And Hiei knew little about such things as property tax and mortgages anyway. But part of the reason Kurama purchased the cottage was so Hiei would stay with him in the Ningenkai. Hiei didn't know this of course. He did however, find the place suitable and stayed willingly anyway.  
  
The t.v cast a bluish glow on the room as Kurama flicked through the channels. Somewhere outside an owl hooted. Kurama shut off the t.v . All these channels and nothing worth watching. Kurama got up and headed for the kitchen with his plate; he didn't see Hiei standing in the doorway. "Morning."  
  
Kurama dropped the plate. It shattered on the hardwood floor sending white crystals of glass flying. Hiei gave him a quizzical look then bent down to help him pick up the glass. "Gomen, I scared you." He said.  
  
"Not your fault, I didn't know you were there."  
  
"I'll get the vacume."   
  
"No. It's alright, I'll get the rest in the morning."   
  
"What are you doing up, Kurama?"  
  
"I...had a bad dream. I couldn't sleep."  
  
Hiei dumped his glass shards in the trash and poured himself a glass of water. Kurama sat at the table and sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. Hiei watched him. "Must have been bad."  
  
Kurama looked up, "Hmmm?"  
  
"The dream you had. It must have been bad."  
  
"Yeah...it was very real. Hiei? You would never...you wouldn't...never mind." He'll think I'm crazy. Maybe I am crazy for believing a dream. Hiei picked up on his koi's hesitation. He pulled up a chair across from him and sat on it backwards, leaning over the back. Red eyes met green. "Daijoubu? I know I haven't been the best company lately and it's because---"  
  
Kurama leaned over the table so his face was an inch from Hiei's. For a good minute they studied eachother. Searching each others eyes, not knowing what the other was looking for. Kurama finally broke off the search by leaning forward the last inch and pressing his lips to Hiei's. Hiei didn't resist, he closed his eyes and savoured the moment before Kurama broke away, leaving him to wonder exactly what was bothering him. Hiei watched Kurama go into the bathroom and close the door. The sound of bathwater being run followed. Hiei glanced at the clock: 2:16am. He sighed and put his glass in the sink. "I'm going back to bed. You alright in there?" Hiei asked through the bathroom door.   
  
"I'm fine now," was the reply.  
  
"Okay, goodnight."  
  
The truth was Kurama was not fine. He felt sick. He leaned over the toilet and silently hoped he wouldn't yak. What's wrong with me? He listened to the runnng water of the tub and closed his eyes, still leaning over the toilet. When the wave of nausea passed Kurama was able to remove his clothes and slip into the tub of hot water. He wet a cloth and wiped his face with it. When he pulled it away again it was soaked in red. Confused, Kurama touched his face. Blood dripped from his nose into the water. "Oh man." So much for taking a bath. Stepping out of the tub, Kurama found himself feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Losing consciousness as well as blood, he crumpled to the floor and lay still.   
  
Hiei heard Kurama fall from the bedroom. He ran to the bathroom door and opened it. His koi lay face down on the tile floor, a growing pile of blood at his head. "Kurama, what's happening to you?!" Hiei grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his body, lifting him off the floor and carrying him to the bedroom. Laying him on the bed, Hiei wiped the blood off Kurama's face with his sleve. More blood replaced it, flowing steadly from Kurama's nose. Hiei was at a loss. I don't know how to treat a ningen! What do I do?!  
  
"Kurama!"  
  
TBC... Interesting, ne? ^ ^' Let me know what you thinkies, okkies? Waii! Arigatou. -Saku 


	2. NTB2

In The Hospital.  
  
Hiei flipped through a magazine impatiently. It was four in the morning and the waiting room was empty; voices floated in from the halls but they were meaningless to the youkai. Flip. Flip. Flip. He handled the pages but didn't read them. He was too busy worrying. He hated worrying almost as much as waiting and it had beeen a hour since Kurama had been taken from him by a tall man wearing a white coat and a name tag: Dr. Martin.   
  
"Wait here," the doctor had instructed him. "I'll come back and let you know how shhh-- he's doing." Hiei heard the doctor catch himself mistaking Kurama for a female but was too stressed to inflict pain on the man.   
  
"He'll be fine, right? It's not serious." Hiei had prodded. The doctor gave him a weak smile and hurried down the hall.  
  
Flip. Flip. Rip....Flip. Yusuke and Kuwabara appeared in the doorway and rushed over to Hiei. "We heard you were here. Is Kurama okay? What happened, Hiei?" Yusuke seemed genuinely concerned and Hiei hated it.   
  
"You shouldn't be here." He scowled.   
  
"Hey, Kurama is our friend too, shorty." Kuwabara snapped, messing up Hiei's hair with one hand. Hiei growled at him.   
  
"What happened, Hiei?" Yusuke asked again.   
  
"Kurama passed out with a nose bleed. I don't know anything else." He put down the magazine and began to pace the room, hands behind his back. Kuwabara sat down next to Yusuke and twiddled his thumbs. It was going to be a long wait.   
  
When the doctor finally returned Kuwabara was asleep, laying across a row of chairs while Yusuke was pacing the room with Hiei. "Hiei?" The doctor asked. Hiei stopped pacing, "How is he?"  
  
"You can see him now. This way."  
  
Yusuke slapped Kuwabara awake and the trio followed Dr. Martin to Kurama's room. Kurama was asleep, wrapped in a blue hospital gown and tucked into blue sheets. Attached to his right arm was an intervenus tube and around his wrist was a yellow hospital bracelet with his name and room number. Yusuke sat down next to the bed. "Kurama?" He whispered. Kurama opened his eyes. "Hmmm? Yusuke? Wow, I didn't know you guys were here."  
  
Kuwabara grinned, " We wouldnt leave you here alone, fox-boy."  
  
"He's not alone." Hiei snarled from the end of the bed.   
  
Kurama noticed him for the first time and smiled warmly at his koi. "I'm sorry I scared you, Hiei."  
  
Hiei nodded and slipped out into the hall to talk to the doctor. Dr. Martin looked grim. Hiei wanted to strangle him.  
  
"What's wrong with Shuiichi?" He demanded.  
  
"To be perfectly honest, we don't know. He didn't lose enough blood to have fainted like he did. And he has no physical ailments we could find. Hiei, Shuiichi is fine. We would like to run some tests though, he should stay here a day."  
  
Hiei snorted and peered into the room. Kuwabara was balancing a flower pot on his head and wobbling around the room like an idiot. Kurama and Yusuke were laughing.   
  
"If he's fine then I'm taking him home.Today."   
  
"I think it wise he stay. Just for twenty four hours. It is possible we missed something."  
  
Hiei turned to him, "You said Shuiichi's fine. I'm taking him out of here then."  
  
"Hiei, please. Understand the risks of--"  
  
"No. Understand this. You fill out the paper work and and we get out of here. Today. End of story."  
  
The doctor sighed in disapointment, nodded and left. Hiei watched Kuwabara stagger around and act like an idiot for Kurama. It seemed to make him happier. Hiei sat down next to Kurama's bed and lay his chin on the bar. Kurama looked over at him, "What did the doc say?"  
  
"You're fine. No big deal; we're getting out of here soon."  
  
"Great. I want to get out of this scratchy gown. It smells bad in here too; I never liked hospitals."  
  
Yusuke made a face. "I hate them. They're just accomidations for the almost-dead."   
  
Kurama, Kuwabara and Hiei all stared at him. "What?" He asked, not realizing what he said wrong. Kurama snickered, "I should like to think I'm going to live another day, thanks."  
  
Since neither Kuwabara nor Yusuke could drive, Hiei and Kurama were on their own on the way back to their cottage. Hiei had grabbed Kurama some clothes before leaving for the hospital so he was at least dressed. It was going to be a long walk.  
  
Kurama started thinking, "Ummm, Hiei? How did we get to the hospital?"  
  
Hiei laughed. "I have my ways." Kurama pictured Hiei highjacking some old lady's car and speeding away with it.  
  
"I don't want to know."   
  
Back at the cottage, Hiei insisted Kurama go straight to bed. It was seven in the morning now and both were exhausted. Kurama curled up in the blankets and instantly zoned out. Hiei made something to eat and eventually joined him.  
  
  
  
TBC...hai, there's more for you! ^ ^ -Saku 


	3. NTB3

** Kurama found himself standing on the roof of a building, high above what looked like the lights of the Hong Kong Harbor, China. What the--? How did I get here?? Kurama peered over the edge of the roof; it was a long way down. Stepping back, he looked for an entrance leading into the building. There was no entrance. No stairs. No exit leading off the roof of any kind. The city below was glowing brightly, chasing the darkness of night away with its many colours. Tall skyscrapers towered over the building Kurama stood on. "Konnichi ha, Kurama."  
  
Kurama spun around to face the owner of the voice. Hiei stood, arms behind his back, not far from him. He had a scowl on his face as he unsheathed his katana, the wind blowing his hair. Kurama studied him, staying where he was. "Hiei?"  
  
"Thought you could get away from me?" The fire youkai snarled.   
  
"What are you talking about Hiei? Why are we in Hong Kong?"  
  
"I'm going to finish what I started!" Hiei jumped off the ledge and rushed the redhead, katana in hand. Kurama's eyes widened as he realized Hiei was going to hurt him and the only way off the building was to jump. Oh man. Hiei was closing in fast. Kurama wanted to understand the reasoning behind Hiei's apparent hate for him, but he had too little time to think about it as he prepared to jump. I can't do this. He thought, looking down into the harbor. Kurama turned to face his koi. Hiei lunged at him, using his body to shove Kurama off the edge of the building.  
  
"Ahhhhhhh! Hiei!" Kurama barely managed to grasp the ledge as he fell and he slammed into the side of the building as a result. Winded, Kurama looked up to see Hiei standing above him, a purly evil grin on his usually unemotional face. "You're a fighter." He sneered. "That's fine. I'd like to see you survive this." Hiei crushed Kurama's fingers with his foot. Kurama cried out in pain and let go of the ledge. **   
  
***  
  
"Yusuke Urameshi. Please report to the office." The highschool's P.A. system droned. Yusuke, who was relaxing against the school's roof fencing, ignored it. He watched as students ate their lunches on the grass below. He even spotted his former rival Kuwabara waiting for his gang by the old fountain. Yusuke was just about to light a cigarette when Boton burst out onto the roof in her human form, seemingly out of breath. "Yusuke," she panted, "We've got a problem."   
  
***  
  
Back at the cottage, Hiei awoke with a start. Kurama was shrieking in his sleep next to him.  
  
"Kurama!" Hiei shook him. "Wake up!"  
  
Kurama's eyes flew open and he sat up, breathing heavily. Sweat covered him and Hiei reached his hand up to wipe the redhead's forhead. Kurama winced and tried to back away, succedding only in falling off the bed. He landed with a thump and moaned from his place on the floor.  
  
"Kurama, are you alright?" Hiei peered down at him.  
  
"Hiei?" Kurama asked meekly.  
  
"Shimatta! You scared me. Why were you screaming?" Hiei asked.  
  
"You...I...was dreaming again, I guess. It felt so real." Kurama sat up and rubbed his head. "I was falling off a building in Hong Kong city. It was so strange...someone pushed me off." He looked up at his spikey haired koi. "YOU pushed me."   
  
Hiei laughed, "I'm glad it was a dream then, no one would survive a fall like that." He crawled out of bed and headed for the kitchen. "You hungry?"  
  
Kurama watched him. "Yeah."  
  
"I'll attempt to make some french toast then."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"You want cinnamon?"  
  
"Sure."   
  
"Brown sugar?"  
  
"Whatever." Kurama climbed back onto the bed. He didn't act surprized when I told him he tried to kill me, did he? Was it just a stupid dream? Or was it a memory? Kurama looked down at his fngers. They were red and swollen.  
  
***  
  
Author note:  
  
Saku: "Ack! Poor Kura-chan! T.T Nuuu! He's in trouble I can feel it...." 


	4. NTB4

"Shimatta!" Dr. Martin slammed his office door and threw off his med coat. His parrot squaked from its cage in the corner. The doctor began to pace in front of the large picture window, pondering the glitch in his plans.   
  
"That fire demon is ruining everything! If only I had the youko alone a while longer....Hiei...He must be out of the picture."   
  
He shook the birdcage, sending the parrot rocking wildly. "He made my life miserable, Peggy!" He shouted at the bewildered bird. "He thought he'd be safe here in the Ningenkai. Ha! I have big plans for that kitsune. After he fled from his youkai form, I must admit, he was nearly impossible to track down. But there's no hiding him now, Peggy. I remember what he did. Now I'm going to hurt him. Hurt him like he hurt me. No. I'll make him suffer worse than I did."   
  
Dr. Martin snorted, "I assure you, the former deeds of Youko Kurama will very soon come back to haunt him. So far, my mental attacks on Youko while he's sleeping have been very effective. Did you see how he bled?!"   
  
The Dr. became excited and his voice rose to an almost giddy tone at the memory of Youko Kurama at his mercy in the emergency room. "A few more nightmares and his body will not only be weak and damaged, but he will blame it all on his demon companion!" The giddy Dr. began to pace the office once more. Peggy the parrot watched him silently from her cage as he spoke.   
  
"Then...when he's alone..." Dr. Martin began to morph. His short, brown hair growing into one long, green braid. His large, brown eyes shrunk down to beady black ones and claws sprouted from his well manicured hands. His ears became pointed and slid up the sides of his head like those of a large elf. He grinned a toothy grin full of two rows of nasty fangs. Peggy began to squak. Terrified by the demon doctor; she fluttered wildly inside her cage. Dr. Martin opened the cage door and with an impossibly large tongue, snatched up the bird and swallowed it whole. "...He'll be mine."  
  
***  
  
"Yusuke, I need you to pay attention! This is important."  
  
Back at Yusuke's house, Boton tried desperately to get him to concentrate on his latest mission.  
  
"I AM paying attention, woman!" Yusuke lowered his manga and looked her in the eye. "So you say some weirdo youkai-elf dude escaped your Reikai jail house and is probably romping all over Tokyo right now. Have I got it?" He began to read his manga again but Boton snatched it from him.  
  
"This is no ordinary youkai. He has shapeshifting abilities. And he's telepathic....to an extent. He could be anyone."  
  
Yusuke grabbed his manga from her. "He could be you, right? So why should I believe you?"  
  
She snatched the manga out of his grasp once more. "His name is Roku and he's very dangerous. He was arrested in the Reikai for thieft, murder, terrorist bombing, obstruction of the peace and other charges I don't wish to repeat. We need him back in custody. We just don't know who he could hurt next."  
  
Yusuke looked unimpressed. "So let me guess, baby Koenma gets Urameshi to do the dirty work before daddy gets back...this way he gets saved from a spanking?"  
  
Boton smacked him upside the head.  
  
"Okay, okay. Let's go find Roku, then." 


	5. NTB5

After breakfast Hiei disappeared outside, leaving Kurama to do the dishes. Kurama cleared the table and put a Shania Twain CD into the stereo system. For a small cottage, it was very nice. Kurama had put his heart and soul into decorating it. Rose bushes surrounded the outside and potted vines and other exotic plants took up all available window seats, giving the place a uniquely wild, outdoor look. The ceilings were log, as was the entire cottage, and the only uniquly modern thing in the room was Kurama's huge stereo system with its two-point five metre tall speakers and their earth-shaking base. The song, "I'm Gonna Getcha" began to play and Kurama turned it up. Singing to it, he grabbed the dish cloth and began to wash the dishes.   
  
"DON'T WANCHA FOR THE WEEKEND..."  
  
Hiei came to the glass door carrying firewood piled up higher than he could see. He fumbled for the doorhandle and dropped half the wood before finally opening the door. Kurama didn't hear him come in, he was too busy singing along with a deafening Shania Twain.   
  
"I KNOW I SOUND SERIOUS,"  
  
The base shook the floor and the pictures on the walls slanted. Hiei could feel his organs vibrating as he crossed in front of the speakers to the wood pile.  
  
"AND BABY I AM."  
  
Kurama danced around the kitchen drying plates and putting them in their shelves.  
  
"YOU'RE A FINE PEICE OF REAL ESTATE, AND I'M GONNA GET ME SOME LAND...."  
  
Hiei snickered to himself. He's feeling better. He finished gathering the wood he'd dropped and closed the door behind him. It wasn't nearly winter yet but it was cold outside. Better being safe than sorry. When Hiei turned around, Kurama had spotted him and was dancing his way, holding the dishcloth in a whipping position.   
  
"SO DON'T TRY TO RUN," he sang. "LOVE CAN BE FUN."  
  
"Uhhh..." Hiei stepped backwards, giving Kurama a quizzical look.   
  
"THERE'S NO NEED TO BE ALONE..."   
  
Hiei continued to step back wards, carefully avoiding the endtable in his way, while keeping one eye on the approaching Kurama. Kurama snapped the towel at him.  
  
"Hey! Cut it out!"  
  
"WHAT?"   
  
"I said, cut that out!"  
  
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Kurama laughed and motioned his lack of understanding. The cottage shook as the chorus played. Hiei sighed and rolled his eyes.   
  
"I'M GONNA GETCHA IF IT TAKES ALL NIGHT..." Kurama advanced, and Hiei soon found himself cornered. "YOU CAN BETCHA BY THE TIME I SAY GO," Kurama pressed Hiei against the wall. "YOU'LL NEVER SAY NO."  
  
Hiei laughed dispite himself. He was feeling better alright. Kurama began undoing his koi's belt, "I'M GONNA GETCHA IT'S A MATTER OF FACT. I'M GONNA GETHCA DON'T YOU WORRY 'BOUT THAT."  
  
Hiei pried the kitsune's fingers away. In response, Kurama stuck his tongue out in disapproval and pressed Hiei to the wall with his body. "YOU CAN BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR IN TIME,"  
  
Hiei felt Kurama nibble at his neck.   
  
" YOU'RE GONNA BE MINE...JUST LIKE I SHOULD..."   
  
Kurama ran his fingers through Hiei's hair and kissed his forehead.  
  
"I'LL GETCHA GOOD."  
  
Hiei struggled to get away from the playful one. "You should learn some self control, Kurama!" He shouted over the music.  
  
"WHAT?" Kurama giggled, trying to unbutton Hiei's shirt with one hand.  
  
"RESTRAIN YOURSELF!" Hiei shouted, Kurama stopped undressing him. But he didn't appear to have heard Hiei at all; instead, he turned around and picked up the phone.   
  
"Hello?" He shouted into the receiver. Hiei couldn't understand how Kurama couldn't hear him over a shrieking Shania, but he had obviously heard the phone ringing.   
  
"I'M GONNA GETCHA IT'S A MATTER OF FACT."   
  
Hiei rebuttoned his shirt and turned the stereo system down so Kurama could hear.  
  
"HELLO?" Kurama repeated, still shouting dispite the lack of music. He hung up the phone. Hiei looked at him funny.  
  
"They hung up." He said, tossing the dish cloth into the kitchen sink.   
  
Hiei smirked, "Good timing."  
  
"For you maybe."  
  
*** 


	6. NTB6

***  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"What could they be doing?"  
  
Yusuke shrugged. He and Boton had been trying to get a hold of Kurama and Hiei, but to no avail. Yusuke hung up the payphone and looked at his watch. "Kuwabara should be out of class in an hour or so. Any ideas?"  
  
Boton thought for a minute. "We could check out the morgue." She suggested.  
  
"The what?"  
  
"The morgue. It's where cities keep their dead before burial. Murder victims go there to be analysed."  
  
"You mean you think Roku would be hanging out there with dead bodies?" Yusuke made a face.  
  
"Well, he needs to eat." Boton said cheerfully.   
  
Yusuke winced. "You know, for a grim reaper in pink, you're pretty sick."  
  
"You'll get the hang of it sooner or later, Spirit Detective." She nudged him, "Let's go."  
  
It took a while to get there, and the hot mid day sun burned down on them the entire way. As usual, Yusuke complained the whole time. "Couldn't you use that oar of yours to get us there?"  
  
"No. We would stand out just a little bit, Yusuke. Besides, it'll do you good to get some exercise." The cheery, blue haired girl looked up into the sky. "What a beautiful day."   
  
Yusuke grumbled and kicked a popcan, hands in his pockets. "Are we there yet?" They stopped in front of a large steel building with no windows. "Yep."   
  
They found it quite easy to get into the morgue, seeing as there was no one around to stop them. "It's so quiet." Boton remarked as they wandered the narrow, long and dimly lit hall. "That's because everyone's dead." Yusuke stopped at a closed door marked "Keep Out" and grinned to Boton.  
  
"No." She said, "If there's a sign that says, keep out, there's a reason to." Yusuke opened the door. Boton smacked him over the head, "You really need some common sense, Yusuke." The duo ventured into the darkened room and Yusuke fumbled for a lightswitch, while Boton began searching through what sounded to him like plastic bags. "Yusuke, look at this!" She called to him in the darkness.  
  
"Gee, I would if I could SEE. How can you see in here?! The lights arn't even on!"  
  
"It's a gift. Hurry up and find the lightswitch."  
  
Yusuke ran his fingers along the walls. "There's no lightswitch, Boton." Somewhere in the darkness he could hear her sigh. A brilliant light flooded the room suddenly and Yusuke blinked in pain. "Geez, that's bright. Where'd you find the switch?" Boton let go of the rope attached to the ceiling light. "Never mind." She scolded, "Look at this. They seem to be bones of some kind." Yusuke approached the table where Boton was examining plastic bags filled with a variety of humanoid bones. Each bag was labeled with numbers and letters similar to barcodes. Tiny tags were attached to each individual bone inside the bags. Yusuke picked one up and examined its contents. "Hey! This one says 'Homicide, West Park'. These were muder victims wern't they, Boton?"  
  
"I'd assume so." Boton picked up a human skull from a far shelf. The room smelled heavily of disinfectants and the smell caused her to sneeze. The skull fell out of her hands and cracked in two on the cement floor. "Oops."  
  
Yusuke snickered, "So what are we here for?"  
  
"Anything unusual. Like mutilated bodies or bodies drained of blood. If Roku is spending his time here in the Ningenkai he'll need human blood to survive."  
  
"Well there are no bodies in here. Just bones." He said, stepping over Boton's skull and heading for the door. "Now wait a minute!" She exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pulling him back into the room. "Look." She handed him a plastic baggy of bones. Yusuke looked at it. "What am I looking at?"  
  
"Says here," she told him, reading from a blank peice of paper. "These are the bones of the demon, Suzaku."  
  
"WHAT?!" Yusuke almost had a stroke right there, and he threw the bag across the room.   
  
"Just kidding." She giggled and dodged the gullable teen's fists. "I didn't think the great Yusuke was afraid of anything." She loved to tease him. Yusuke chased her around a chrome table, knocking over bones and papers in his way. "I was NOT afraid! That guy was hard to kill, that's all." he insisted, climbing over the table to get at the ferrie woman. "Just so we're clear on that."  
  
Just then, footsteps approached from the hall. The door opened and a tall figure's eyes widened at the scene before him. A blue haired woman in pink was backed against the homicide evidence counter by a young man dressed in a green school uniform, who was on the examination table. Papers and evidence littered the floor. For a good minute no one moved. "...Uhhh, Yusuke? We've been spotted." Boton muttered through clenched teeth.  
  
"No shit, Sherlock...."  
  
*** 


	7. NTB7

***  
  
"I've decided to take you out, Hiei." Kurama was sprawled out on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Hiei looked at him from the kitchen, where he was attempting to make sandwiches for lunch. The kitchen counter was littered with mayo, lettuce leaves, tomato seeds and pepper. The bread was on the floor. "Aw. Damnit!" Hiei cursed, picking up the fallen bread slices. "Why do they always land on the butter side?" The bacon sizzled and spit on the stove and Hiei turned the heat down, getting bacon grease on his exposed arm. "Shimatta! That HURTS!" he shouted, hopping around slightly while holding his injured arm. "I'm sorry, Kitsune, what were you saying?" he said, turning back to Kurama. Kurama smiled up at the ceiling, listening to Hiei's cooking sounds. "I said, we're going out." He repeated. Hiei licked the mayonaise off his fingers. "When? Where? WHAT? Fox, what are you babbling about? No! Not the toast!...Too bad, hope you like it burnt."   
  
Kurama turned to watch the youkai open a window and try to force the smoke from the toaster outside with a towel. A minute later the smoke alarm went off. By now, Kurama was using a pillow to stiffle his laughter. Hiei's cursing had reached a higher level in both english and japanese, and Kurama chewed on the pillow covering his face to keep from laughing hysterically. By the time the bacon and tomato sandwiches were done and on the table, Hiei was thoroughly pissed off.   
  
"I don't know why I bother trying to cook. It's not like anything I make is edible."   
  
The two of them looked down at their plates; the bread was blackish in colour, the bacon resembled dried leaves, the lettuce was limp and the tomatoes oozed out from the sandwich like entrails.  
  
"Where's the mayonaise?" Kurama asked, lifting the top peice of the sandwich. Hiei muttered, " It's in there somewhere." There was a moment of silence where they glanced at eachother then back to the food. When their eyes met a second time both boys were laughing. Their voices ringing through the cottage.  
  
"Why Hiei," Kurama sputtered, "what a pleasent meal you've dished out to me. Whatever do you call it?"  
  
Hiei had tear gems falling from his eyes, and Kurama thought he was going into hysterics-which he probably was- when he slid back from the table in his chair. "I call it. The. 'Smoldering Pile. Of Inedibles' !" He barely got the words out through his laughter and tear gems. Kurama laughed at Hiei's own laughter (which we all know is rarely heard ^ _ ^) . This caused him to snort invuluntarily and thus, caused them both to laugh harder.  
  
"Oh my god, my face HURTS!" Hiei choked out, holding his cheeks. Kurama had to leave the table after that. It was just too much. "You can't hide in the washroom forever , you know." Kurama heard Hiei call to him once their laughing fit had run its course. Kurama ran himself a shower and changed into a robe before poking his head out the washroom door. "hiei?" He called.  
  
"What?" Was the reply.  
  
"I was thinking we go to that fancy restaurant just outside the city...What's the name of it?" Kurama heard the other snort from the kitchen table. "Like I'm going to know? Sometime I think you forget who you're talking to."  
  
Kurama laughed. "Well, if I forget I can always look at your cooking." he teased. Hiei threw a roll of paper towel at him and he shut the door again, barely avoiding getting hit in the face. When he was finished his shower, he came out to an empty cottage. Hiei was probably outside gathering more firewood. That youkai was always bringing in firewood. Kurama wondered how he managed to get so much of it and still have trees left around the property. The woodpile was already stacked high, but Kurama didn't say anything when Hiei returned with more. The fire demon needed to do something to occupy his time. Hiei got bored easily in the Ningekai and Kurama wondered, not for te first time, how he'd managed to keep him here as long as he had. Hiei made his way across the livingroom to the woodpile, dropping logs along the way. Kurama closed the glass door behind him and shivered from the cold outdoor air. His hair was wet and tied back in one long ponytail. He wore no socks or slippers. "What are you going to wear?" he asked Hiei, buttoning up his white shirt. Hiei finished collecting the stray logs from on the floor and frowned.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well you can't go like that."  
  
"I can't? Who decides what I have to wear?"  
  
Kurama's emerald eyes sparkled, " I know what you'd look good in, Hiei." With that, the redhead retreated into the bedroom, leaving Hiei to wonder what hideous ningen garments he would soon be wearing and where he'd be wearing them to. Kurama seemed to be back to normal, considering he'd been in the hospital that morning. Hiei thought back to when he woke up to him screaming in his sleep. Plagued so badly by a nightmare that he bled from the nose. The thought of Kurama having nightmares, even with him around, worried him. He was piling up the remaining logs of wood against the wall when Kurama came out of the bedroom, carrying his own pile. the bouncy redhead dropped the clothes onto the couch and patted the cushion, indicating Hiei to sit down.   
  
"What are you up to, fox?" Hiei asked, wiping his hands on his pants and crossing over to the couch. He eyed the colourful garments. "No."  
  
Kurama pouted and held up a pair of blue pants with a zipper and button in the front. Hiei looked them over with distaste. They had pockets too. As though it wasn't bad enough one had to worry about gadgets like zippers and buttons. Buttons always broke off or got themselves caught on loose fabric. And zippers, well they caught...other things. The pants were simply impractical. No one in their right mind would wear such things around in public.   
  
Again, "No."  
  
"Comon, Hiei. They're jeans. Everyone wears jeans."  
  
So the whole human race is impractical, I suspected as much. "I'm not everyone. Besides, they're too long."  
  
"We can cut them. It's not that hard to do. Jean's look good when they're ripped at the ankles anyway."   
  
Hiei snorted, "Right."  
  
Kurama handed them to him and he took them into the washroom.  
  
"My, arn't we modest." Kurama teased when Hiei returned. Hiei, who was fighting with the button on his jeans, glanced up at him. "I'm not undressing in front of you."   
  
Kurama folded his arms and leaned back on the couch. Hiei finally did up the button. Kurama smiled; Hiei did look silly in his clothes. Though they both had the same waist size, Hiei was definately shorter. One could tell just by looking at his feet. They were hidden inside the jean's pantlegs. Kurama tapped his chin. Hiei bent down to roll up the pants so that his feet could touch the ground.  
  
"Take them off."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Take them off, I've got a better idea."  
  
Hiei raised a quizzical eyebrow but did so. He threw the pants at Kurama. Kurama reached into his back pocket for his wallet and looked inside. Looking back up at the half dressed Hiei, he smiled. "I have just enough on me too."  
  
Hiei didn't have a clue what the redhead was referring to, but he was sure he wasn't going to like it. Kurama stood up, gathered the other clothes he'd brought out and headed for the bedroom; stopping when he noticed what his friend was wearing.  
  
"Hiei, are those my boxers?"  
  
Hiei looked down at the shorts around his waist. "They threw themselves at me, I swear." 


	8. NTB8

Author Note: *hides behind couch* I know! I know! I'm sorry it took me sooooo long to update this one! Don't hurt me...onegai...? *starry eyes*  
  
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"No Turning Back"  
  
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It took him a while, but Kurama finally talked Hiei into getting into his car.  
  
"Hiei I'm not going to drive alone while you run alongside the car. It's not normal."  
  
"But I can--"  
  
"I know you can keep up, Hiei, that's not the point. It's...it's inhuman."   
  
Hiei sniffed at that, "Ch'. Figures that's something you'd be worried about."  
  
"Hiei just get in. You can ride in the backseat if you want to."  
  
"Hn. Fine."  
  
As it turned out, the combonation of bumps in the road, the open windows and cool breeze combined with Kurama's choice of soft music caused the protestant youkai to drift into a light sleep. Kurama glanced at him through the rearview mirror and smiled. Humming to "Kissed By A Rose" by Seal on the radio, Kurama made a left turn onto the highway and off of the wooded backroads, towards the city. And the mall. Poor Hiei didn't know Kurama had planned on buying him some clothes.   
  
Frankly, the redhead could care less how much of a fight Hiei was going to put up once they got there. Anything was better than washing and rewashing the same outfit for his lover to wear day after day. Black was definately his colour though, Kurama thought, watching Hiei in the mirror while still keeping one eye on the road ahead. He began to imagine several black outfits from a catalogue he'd flipped through and how they would look on the sleeping demon as he drove. He smirked then when his thoughts began to wander more towards what would look good OFF of Hiei rather than on him and the redhead rolled down the window, hanging one arm outside. It had suddenly gotten quite warm in the car....  
  
Returning his thought to the present, Kurama glanced at his fingers on the steeringwheel. They were back to normal; not red or swollen. It was queer, he thought, that they appeared so after his dream. In it, Hiei had crushed his fingers with his foot...Was it a psychosomatic response to a disturbing nightmare? That was the most likely diagnosis Kurama could come up with and it was the only one that many any sense. As far as his bloody nose incident that morning...Dry air? Lack of sleep? Stress? He thought of the popular theory expressed often in manga where a male with a bloody nose indicated naughty thoughts. If that was the reason, I must have had one helluva thought! Laughing to himself, Kurama sped up to pass the van in front of them.  
  
No, his dreams nowadays always had something to do with Hiei hurting him. Kurama shivered dispite the warmth of the car. What possessed him to dream like that? He had been sure he was in control of his Yoko half and his thoughts...Perhaps he wasn't as controlled as Kurama thought he was.  
  
Hiei stirred from in the backseat. Kurama watched him fight with the seatbelt briefly and settle back against the window pane. The song "Gravity" by Soul Decision began to play on the radio and Kurama turned it up. He thought about cranking his speaker system to the max, but remembered Hiei's lack of humor and thought it best to let him wake up on his own.   
  
"You're undeniable, simply irrisistable, certainly you're kissable, but next to you I'm way too shy..."   
  
When the song sang "shy", Kurama diliberately sang "tall" and checked the mirror for Hiei's reaction. On cue, Hiei opened one eye at him.   
  
"I knew you wern't sleeping."  
  
"Hn. Where are we going?"  
  
"I'm glad you didn't say 'Are we th--'"  
  
"Are we there yet?" Hiei asked, sitting up and smirking. Kurama laughed, "Almost."   
  
"Where did you say we were going?"  
  
"I didn't."  
  
"Kurama, you're being elusive."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Stop it."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"You can't what?"  
  
"I can't tell you where we're going. Not yet."  
  
"Why not? Are you taking me on another fieldtrip? Because I don't think I can take another trip to the zoo. Honestly, don't you think it's a little embarrassing when the parrots start landing on you and asking for your nuts?"  
  
Kurama laughed at the memory, "They just wanted you to feed them and you happened to be holding a bag of peanuts."  
  
Hiei snorted and folded his arms. "Sure...where are you taking me then, if not to see animals?"  
  
"The mall."  
  
"The WHERE?"  
  
Kurama squinted one eyes shut and leaned away from Hiei who was now half way between the two front seats shouting at him. What a temper...  
  
"I don't like that place! KuRAma!"  
  
"I know. I know. We'll be quick."  
  
"No. YOU will be quick. I will be in the car."  
  
"Hiei you need jeans and I can't try them on for you."  
  
Hiei looked at him incredulously and Kurama leaned further towards the window, "What?"  
  
"Jeans? I need JEANS?? Ha! Hahahahaha!"   
  
Hiei flopped back into the backseat, slouching dramatically and staring straight ahead. Kurama thought he had cracked. When it had gotten too quiet and Kurama realized he hadn't seen his friend blink in over two minutes, he ventured a question:  
  
"Are your eyes not dried out? Hiei, you'd think you were having a staring contest with a fish back there."  
  
Hiei made a sound somewhere between a gurgle and a growl in response.   
  
The car climbed a hill and the above ground part of the Tokyo Mall loomed just ahead of them in all its glory. Hiei blinked finally and leaned against the window, proping his elbow on the doorledge and his face in his open palm. Kurama signaled right and stopped at the lights, waiting for an opportunity to turn into the mall's crowded parking lot. When it became apparent they wern't going to get an opening in traffic anytime soon, Kurama groaned and leaned back in his seat, letting his hands fall onto his lap. He glanced back at his companion. "Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"Have you thought of what kind of jeans you'd like? What colours or style you're interested in?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well start thinking, we're almost there."  
  
Hiei rolled his eyes and slouched back into his seat. This was going to be hell...  
  
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Author note: This story may seem to be going slow but trust me, it will pick up. FAST. I have more that should be up by tonight so check back or add me to your favorites ^_^. Flames are welcome, but not as much as REVIEWS! Always, Saku 


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